Modeling of groundwater flow by the moving particle finite element method

The moving particle finite element method (MPFEM), one of the meshless methods, is more convenient to be applied to the problems with complicated shaped boundaries than the finite element method (FEM) because no element is necessary in calculation processes for the MPFEM. The MPFEM takes less time in operation than other meshless methods, and it can deal with the constant head boundaries without extra technique. In this paper, the way to apply the MPFEM to the groundwater flow analysis was suggested. Computer programs were developed to test how the suggested way is useful for groundwater problems. Results by the MPFEM were compared with the analytical solutions, results by the FEM and the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM). It was shown that results by the MPFEM were similar to the analytical solutions. However, the error range by the MPFEM was a little greater than those by the FEM and EFGM.